Hello, 2018.

Have you ever seen the movie Age of Adaline? It's my favorite. In the movie, Adaline goes to a fancy New Year's Eve party. We were watching the movie for approximately the zillioneth time when Greta & I decided that we definitely need to attend a formal New Year's Eve party at least once in our lifetime. However, New Year's Eve (and Greta's birthday!) fell on a Sunday this year...and all the super formal parties cost SO MUCH MONEY. We ended up settling for a semi-formal New Year's Eve eve benefit event.

The event was circus themed, and aerialist dancers performed above the dance floor, with a sword & ring dancer on the stage. There was tons of food, including all-you-could-eat cotton candy in flavors like mango & tiger's blood! Waiting in line to play carnival games we heard the people behind us talking about how they  met at a millionaires workshop. We were feeling pretty high-class that night. And young. I have never been hit on by so many older gentlemen before.

We counted down to Greta's 25th birthday with a 2,000 balloon drop & Martinelli's toast.I told her we threw the whole party for her, but I don't think she's buying it.

Fireworks!

I am a big fan of fireworks. Actually, I think I'm just a big fan of anything that lights up the dark. I love stars. I love twinkly lights. I love campfires. I love goodness. I love Jesus Christ.

Light in the darkness makes me feel warm and fuzzy. It's as if anything can happen.

July in Utah means fireworks all month long - starting with the 4th and continuing until the 24th (Pioneer Day...it's a thing here). My friends are absolute gems and have totally indulged me this month by taking me to at least one firework show every weekend. I think they're mostly entertained by how much I geek out over my love of fireworks.

This weekend's show in Spanish Fork was the PERFECT ending to a month of fireworks (we'll be out of town next weekend and miss all the Pioneer Day shows). It was hands down my favorite show this year. It was a "pyromusical," meaning the fireworks were synced to the music. Very cool.

Reenie videoed part of the show so that you can enjoy it. Just keep in mind that THIS WASN'T EVEN THE FINALE. The show was like this the ENTIRE time, and the finale was GOLDEN and PERFECT.

Spiders...I can't

I'm pretty proud of myself for how far I've come in my relationship with spiders. I used to run, screaming in fear. And then I learned to stay and scream in fear until someone else came to kill it (which is super smart, because when you run sometimes the spider also runs and you lose it forever). Then I graduated to killing the spiders myself, still with lots of screaming. Lately, I've been killing the (far too many) spiders in my apartment without screaming. It's a big deal. Despite all my growth and preparation, yesterday morning's spider adventure was just too much.

It was on the wall when I first saw it. It was BIG. When I immediately reacted with screaming and tears, I knew this was too big for me to handle on my own. I sent out an SOS snapchat video of the spider. The spider crawled on to a paper bag, making it almost impossible to kill without getting real close. And I couldn't. Instead, I just stared at that spider. For probably 30 minutes. I sent Greta multiple tear filled videos explaining the situation I was in. I was going to be late for work, but I couldn't just leave it there!

Eventually, I rallied up the courage to trap the spider under a cup (by this point I was convinced it was the kind of spider that if you squish it a million baby spiders come out of it). Once I secured the spider under the cup and cut off all of its oxygen with duct tape, I decided it was safe to leave the spider and let it suffocate and die.

However, only moments after the spider was trapped, Jeff took his lunch break from work  and came to the rescue. Even though he thought I was being severely ridiculous, he followed my wishes to take the spider outside--far away in the parking lot--and kill it. He just might be my favorite person.

It took me a good half hour post-spider death to calm down enough to focus on anything else. It was a really traumatic experience.

I have since cleaned my room, searching for spiders, and drenched every crack and crevice in spider spray. I think we're good now. Fingers crossed.

Carine: DTRer Extraordinaire

Carine's superhero power: radiating a "come talk to me about how my roommate feels about you" vibe.

Last fall, a boy had taken Greta on a couple dates. He wasn't sure if he should ask her out again, so what did he do? He went to Carine. Carine, who is very much in the know about all of our feelings, kindly suggested that the boy spend his time and money on someone more interested.

Fast forward to this summer. I had gone on a few dates with one of our good friends, but I wasn't feeling anything more than friendship. I was really starting to worry about how I was going to tell him I wasn't interested and still preserve the friendship (I have a history of going on dates and then just avoiding the boy for the rest of eternity...it's a problem). And then suddenly, all of my problems were solved: Carine DTRed with the boy. 

I'm still not sure how I got out of that one, but I really think it worked out perfectly. There is no awkwardness and the friendship was preserved. #Blessed

Also, have I mentioned that I recently discovered I have an avoidant attachment style when it comes to dating? I discovered this in my families theories class. I came home and told my roommates about my "discovery." They were not impressed. Evidently everyone knew about this long before me.

Also, Mom knows about my avoidant attachment too. I'm glad my prof finally clued me in.

Antelope Island Adventure

FACT: Salt Lake City is named after a lake. The Great Salt Lake. Today, after 3 years of living in Utah, I met the Great Salt Lake. She's smelly and very buggy, but she's also beautiful, buoyant, and has an abundance of flat rocks that are perfect for skipping.

We took a million pictures with the sign, because we didn't have a photographer so, naturally, we had to rotate so that everyone could have a picture with everyone.

Also, MEET MEGAN SHEEN! She's our favorite. I don't know how we haven't been best friends for our whole lives (I guess geography probably played a role in that...). Anyway, she's become very important in my life lately. 

Wisdom for future Great Salt Lake visitors:

1. Bring chairs, not blankets/towels. The sand is pretty rocky.
2. Leave your towel in the car. If you leave it on the beach, it will absorb salt and become quite crusty. Like, unusable crusty. Hard as a board crusty. Why did I even bother to bring a towel crusty.
3. Pack a picnic, but eat at the picnic tables by the parking lot and not down by the water. There are too many bugs down there.
4. Either bring a pool noodle to beat away the bugs at the water's edge or prepare to run REAL fast. There is a lovely lining of little bugs bordering the water. It might look like the sand is just darker there or it is plant debris, but rest assured that it is a million little flying bugs which will fly up and try to eat you when you walk through them.
5. While floating, reach your hand down into the sand and you will find an endless supply of skipping rocks. Perfect shaped rocks + salty water = PERFECT for skipping rocks.

I love adventuring with the girls. They make my life so HAPPY. 

Ugly buildings and better

Once upon a time in high school...

Lisa:     Hey, Mom - can you take me to that boutique I drove past once with Dad?
Mom:   Umm...sure. Do you know what it's called?
Lisa:     No.
Mom:   Do you know how to get there?
Lisa:     No.
Mom:   Do you have any idea where it is?
Lisa:     It's somewhere in Baton Rouge by some big, ugly buildings.

She got us to the boutique, in case you were wondering.

Once upon a time last week...

Lisa:     Hey, Megan - what's that song called that says "better"?
Megan: Better?
Lisa:     Yes, better.
Megan: Any other words?
Lisa:     I can't remember. But the song won't get out of my head and it's frustrating because I only know one word. *hums tune and sings only the word "better"*
Megan: Oh! I know what song you're talking about. I can't think of what it is though. But it says "no    more."

Two more words = success. Carine later solved the mystery. It's Adele's "Send My Love (to your new lover)". I know all the words now.

I really appreciate all the Sherlocks in my life.

Whale Shark seeking companionship of a Blue Tang

Picture this: I'm at the movies with my pals. A Finding Dory preview comes on. Bailey the whale shark is introduced (see around 0:50 of the above clip). "It was so much fun because I'd tell you a story and then you'd completely forget about it and I'd get to tell it to you over and over again!" 

I feel my friends turn to face me. I look to my left, Greta is looking at me and smiling. I look to the right, Megan is doing the same. Their eyes meet and they burst out in laughter. So I have a little bit a reputation for telling stories over and over...and over. And evidently my friends have great memories.

Haha, Greta just informed me that I have significantly improved over the years we've been friends. #Progress.